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L5R - Introduction and Index from Bayushi Sugai
Back to Main Page: An introductory note and index from Bayushi Sugai As you are surely aware, my predecessor in Ryoko Owari was the magistrate Ashidaka Naritoki (P25). Before Naritoki, the magistrate was a woman named Matsu Shigeko (And before her was Isawa Choyo), who resigned her office due to a self-perceived inability to effectively police the City of Stories. Before retiring from her office, she prepared a dossier for her successor (Naritoki) including information on various individuals and locations throughout the city. Due to the honourable Naritoki's unforeseen demise, he was unable to provide the same service to me; therefore, her dossier has been included. Keep in mind that Shigeko's comments are three years old; observations in them may no longer be completely current. Shigeko-san was first and foremost a warrior - a samurai-ko whose code of behaviour was particularly strict. Naritoki had nothing but respect for her, but (on occasion) expressed an opinion that she had been unable to adapt to Ryoko Owari because she lacked "flexibility': When regarding her entries, keep in mind that she saw all things in highly charged terms - either good and virtuous or evil and corrupt. There is little room for ambiguity in Shigeko's view of the city. Thankfully she was a diligent archivist and her records include details of both the city, the people and its customs that you may find helpful. Although for completeness her records only note people of special interest. There are nearly 1000 Samurai in the City and its immediate surroundings and nearly 50 times that many non-Samurai. She has applied a letter and number code to make cross-referencing these documents easier. G - represents general information. L - indicates a location P - Indicates a person. T - Represents a threat For further context I have also included three other documents for context which will be on a different scroll. * “Memoirs of an Opium Eater” by Silver Bird - This is the most recent source available for this travelogue. Sadly, it has become available only with the death of its author. As you may be aware, "Memoirs of an Opium Eater" is currently being read with much interest throughout Rokugan, having been published anonymously. While `Silver Bird` paints a vivid picture of life in Ryoko Owari, I would caution any reader about jumping to conclusions. The unfortunate young lady, by her own admission, drank copiously and partook often in the opium which eventually claimed her life. Her opinions of certain individuals fluctuate wildly in her journal, and this inconsistency casts shadows of doubt on her factual accounts. Nonetheless, her account has value - if only because it gives a glimpse of the Floating World in which she lived and died * "A visitor's guide to Ryoko Owari" by Soshi Komachi - Soshi Komachi's guide to Ryoko Owari was written seventy five years ago and is still considered the best resource for historical, architectural and travel information by the Scorpion Clan. The contents of this book are widely known and accepted. * “A History of Ryoko Owari” by Yogo Morosuke - Composed one hundred and four years ago by Yogo Morosuke, this book has never been widely copied or collected. A powerful shugenja, Morosuke's unorthodox views of his clan's history were tolerated in his lifetime and quietly buried after his death. Only recently has a copy of his book been found outside the Scorpion clan libraries. (I owe a debt of gratitude to Iuchi Karasu for allowing me to peruse and copy his edition.) Morosuke shows an unusual willingness to believe the worst about people (even historical and ancestral figures) and to commit even the most scandalous stories to paper. While many of his accounts are dismissed as folk stories by his own clan, many in my own Asako family, along with the venerable Ikoma historians, find his accounts compelling and (in several cases at least) probably factual. MAT - Matsu Shigeko’s Dossier MEM - “Memoirs of an Opium Eater” - Anonymously published under the pseudonym Silver Bird. HIS - “A History of Ryoko Owari” by Yogo Morosuke KOM - "A visitor's guide to Ryoko Owari" by Soshi Komachi Back to Main Page: